250 Words: The Merlion (Part Twenty-Nine)

Before long the new order was fully established, the former captain becoming Council leader.  All Merlions suffering from the sickness had been cured by the open sea, shedding their long coats never to return.

Quickly, too, came time for other changes.  Several Merlions, including the Merlion of Singapore and his soon-to-be wife, returned to Singapore to relieve those left on guard and to see how the wounded were. 

And there they stayed, a permanent presence to keep pirates away and to begin a new period of interaction between human and Merlion.  About this the boy was overjoyed, happy he would spend many more of his days with his Merlion friends.  Later he would live by the water and become a fisherman, and the Merlions swam alongside his vessel, always lending a hand.

The Merlion himself began a much happier existence in the waters around Singapore, roaring and splashing with his girlfriend, those who’d opted to stay and, later, their children.  

Before long Merlions began to travel between their island and Singapore, the Merlion getting to know his parents and siblings very well.

And so, from then on, the Merlion population began to grow once more and they spread out from the two islands, eventually helping keep ports far and wide safe from intruders. 

Even as far away as Portsea Island off the southern coast of Britain a colony of Merlions would one day live and work- and in conjunction with Merunicorns too.  But that is a story for another time.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Twenty-Eight)

Just as the gathered Merlions thought all was lost, just as they were on the point of absolute despair, they heard a commotion come from where the tunnel exited into the lagoon.  They looked up and saw a growing pack of Merlions.  All cheering and whooping and happy as could be.  Partly because they had been in the open sea but also because one had seen the returning heroes and passed word around. 

Soon the island’s entire population had appeared and begun to swim across the lagoon.  Once he had reached the beach, the young Merlion greeted his kin.  “You’ll never guess what’s happened,” he challenged them and begun to tell his tale.

After talking to the Merlion’s father, the councillor had had a long think then gone out and actually spoken to many a Merlion, discovering their reactions and feelings to recent events.  

He had tried to speak to his fellow council members but had gotten nowhere.  He tried his soldiers instead and found they had become disheartened  by the desertion of so many, including their own colleagues; who they did not fancy fighting again.  

And so the council was overthrown by the remnants of its own army (who had been forced out to sea as prisoners but soon re-found their youth and became willing volunteers).

This the young Merlion related and the returning Merlions told their tale in return.  An impromptu party quickly got underway, every Merlion on the island pleased that everything was going to be okay.

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The Bridge Troll's strategem was sound and good. It's just that the Billy Goat Gruff's was much better.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Twenty-Seven)

When the renegade Merlions returned they were cautious, knowing there could be a fight waiting for them.  On finding the seas around the island clear, their fears turned to the tunnel and the fact it could well hold a trap waiting for them to enter.

The former captain of the Council’s Army had volunteered to go first and reconnoitre the tunnel but most had refused to let him, knowing his importance in any potential battle.  Instead they drew straws and a Merlion was selected to go ahead and assess the situation.

The rest waited in collective silence, and with baited breath, scared for what might happen to their scout, what he might find within the tunnel or at the far end.  Finally, after an interminably long time, bubbles appeared on the surface of the sea, followed soon after by their scout. 

“It’s all clear,” he announced, “Let’s go!”

The Merlions followed him through the tunnel, exiting into an empty lagoon.  This was as far as the scout had been and together they swam slowly across the water, looking out, around and below, for signs of a trap or an ambush.

Neither came and they reached the far side where the beach was empty of souls.  They split into small groups and searched for Merlions around the lagoon and in the jungle but found none, only deserted homes.  Together they began to fear the worst once more and their hair began to grow ever so slightly.

Until they heard a noise…

100 Words: In the dry forest

I would often walk through that dry forest, the light dappling my skin, the sun an intermittent strobe, never enough warmth leaking through.  I would sit or lie in the bends the trees made.

And wait for my love to come to me.  And when he arrived, warmth would come through the leaves and he would cradle me as the trees had done.

And soon the forest would no longer be dry, seemingly half dead, we would wake it and give it life.  For those years, for that time.

Now I return and it is dead to me once more.

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Written for Friday Fictioneers, in response to this photo:



An InLinkz Link-up

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Twenty-Six)

The young Merlion continued, “Then listen to this old ‘lion.  The population is against you, virtually every one.  Soon members of your council will start to die and we will replace them because the Merlions next in line are with us.  Even some army trainees are.  The council will eventually be formed of renegades, what you are doing now will not last.  It will be better if you give in now, welcome back your son and start to return us to our former glory.  Because it’s going to happen anyway. 

“And you know how many of us are ill, sir.  To go on as we are will kill us all.  If they return they will return to a graveyard.  Don‘t kill us off.  Let us live.”

He said this with great conviction because he knew it to be true.  So many Merlions had been going down with the sorrow disease since the renegades had departed and this was why so many Merlions were keen to overthrow the current Council and create a new one.  

The older Merlions could remember how things had once been and the younger ones could see it would be better.  And so this young Merlion had come before the Merlion of Singapore’s father to make his appeal.

After making his speech the young Merlion left immediately, leaving his words ringing in the ears of his audience, whose face had looked shocked the last he saw of it. 

All the young Merlion could do now was hope.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Twenty-Five)

The young Merlion’s task would be easier said than done.  Although he had mass support, the Merlions left on the island were all either too young or too old to successfully take on the remnants of the Council’s Army.  

He therefore decided on a different strategy.  That is, he would try and turn the Merlion’s father around- for he thought that he was the key to the plot: not only was this Merlion widely believed to be the weakest of the council members but he was in charge of its army.  Indeed he had formed it. 

The Merlion’s mother had been trying since the meeting with her son but he was obstinate and it would take the audacity of the young Merlion to make him see.

The young Merlion snuck into the home of the Merlion’s father and caught him unawares.  Understandably the young Merlion’s target was angry but he managed to calm the Merlion’s father and stop him from summoning help, begging to be heard out, that the council (or at least one of its members) should listen to the masses as represented by him.

“Fine,” the Merlion’s father said testily, “Spit it out if you must.”

The young Merlion began by appealing to the council member’s heart, reminding him of The Dream, that he could get to know his son, who was otherwise lost to him and needn’t be forever.  “My wife has tried this.  Clearly if it didn’t work for her, then it won’t for you, boy.”

100 Words: Mill

I spent much of my teenage years sat on a square of grass between two blocks of flats. 

We spent a long time together, occasionally doing something- if there was a ball we’d throw it about, sometimes we listened to music, mostly we chatted at length.

We all thought we’d graduate away to college, then jobs and escape this town.  But we did too little too long and, “Those who mill end up there,” they now say.  

This’d all be a complaint but it’s meant we get to do what we’ve always loved; now in bars or backyards with beer.

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Written for 100 Word Challenge #371 on Velvet Verbosity

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Twenty-Four)

A few days later most of the Merlions returned home, some staying behind in case there were further piratical problems- and to help those who had to stay because of injury in battle.  Those intervening days were spent preparing for the journey and their arrival.  And also in discussion with the humans over the future of both groups of animals.

The boy was left to worry about his friend, the Merlion, and initially took his mind off this by spending time clearing up the remains of the pirate ships that were washed ashore and helping care for the Merlions still recovering from the fight, learning more about their kind.

After a week or so, however, these activities stopped having the desired effect and he began to spend whole days on the southern side of Singapore watching the sea for the returning Merlions.

The renegade Merlions had much to fear on their return to the Isle of the Merlions.  The remains of the Council’s Army had blocked the exit of the tunnel and were waiting for them in the lagoon with vicious intent in case they did manage to force their way through.  An event deemed rather unlikely.

Parallel to this was a growing discontent among the Merlions, being helped along by the young Merlion who had helped the Merlion and the boy.  A race against time had begun, the young Merlion knowing he had to overthrow the council before his comrades returned and drowned in the darkness of the tunnel.  

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The Dark Warrior's Triangle of Darkness strategem was flawless. Endless troops hot from the Underearth gave him invincibility in numbers.

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Note: I stole the Triangle of Darkness idea from the Second World War- more specifically from an IWM Interview that I catalogued (see Content Description).

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Twenty-Three)

In the morning, once all the ships had been sunk or captured, all the pirates had been jailed and the all-clear had been given, the boy’s aunt finally allowed him out (he’d been champing at the bit since the battle had died down).

The boy made for the port, soon found his father and gave him a huge hug, asking what had happened.  The reunion was brief, though, and the boy quickly carried on to the water to look for his Merlion. 

But he was nowhere to be found (and neither was his lady Merlion friend).  The boy spoke to many Merlions, journeying on the back of one around the island.

Eventually, in the early evening, as the boy sat on the beach where they had first met, the Merlion approached looking a little shame-faced.

“Sorry, young friend, I was otherwise engaged for a while,” hastily adding, “Ensuring all the pirates had been dealt with.”

“That’s ok- I thought you might have gone back.  Forever.”

“Oh no, Singapore will always be my home.  I must soon return to the island to help complete the struggle there,” adding sternly, “You must stay this time.  I’m planning to remain living here, but not as the only Merlion.  And anyway, we don’t know what will happen when we get to the island.  I might not return.”

The pair were quiet for a moment.  And then they swapped stories of the battle into the evening until the boy’s father appeared and took him home.

250 Words x2: The Merlion (Parts Twenty-One and Twenty-Two)

Shortly before midnight the Merlions left Singapore, swimming out in all directions, in pairs, each pair heading for a ship.  Upon arrival at their allotted vessel each pair quickly set to work underwater, gripping and prising away the boards that held the hull together.

Onshore, on Singapore and the nations surrounding her, the people waited for the first signs of trouble on the water.  This would be their signal to attack and capture the ships in port to deal with the pirates enjoying port life- for, as the pirates had had an easy time of it in terms of opposition to their rule, many of them spent their evenings in establishments selling alcohol- and this night was no exception!

The first sign came in Singapore and Johor Baru when shouts were heard from a ship stationed between the two.  It’s rear was starting to sink and pirates onboard were starting to panic, some abandoning ship only to find themselves face to face with Merlions. 

In both cities the people made their move- some blockading the bars, trapping pirate reinforcements inside, while others made their way to the docks.  Gaining entrance was easy- some guards were half-drunk on rum while others were distracted in another way.  

So onward they ran to the ships, only half-manned, their distress calls not being answered by comrades-in-arms but angry folk trying to keep their feelings from boiling over as they didn’t want to sink or burn these ships and clog up their own docks.  Boarding and overtaking would be enough.

And that they did, easily.  The pirates could see there was no point in struggling- the look in the eyes of their attackers told them that much.  Their time was over, they were marched to jail.

For his part the Merlion ventured out with the female Merlion the boy had seen him chat with during the journey home.  Together they swam in silence to that ship between Singapore and Johor Baru and, near its stern each ripped boards away until they could feel themselves being sucked into the ship.

The Merlion pulled away easily but the female couldn’t and needed him to release her from the forces trying to drag her inside the already sinking ship.  They quickly surfaced and after a quick kiss in thanks the two Merlions began to disarm and drag pirates to the shore to be arrested by waiting civilians.

Meanwhile the boy watched what proceedings he could see from his home.  His father was storming the docks but he had not been allowed to join in.  “You’ve played your part,” his aunt had said, “This is too dangerous for you.” 

Instead he watched and wondered what would happen next.  Would the Merlion leave, once the pirates were finally defeated?  He would have a mate soon, perhaps they would prefer to live on their island. 

Of such issues the boy thought as the battle continued, the pirates having been caught off guard and where they fought, they fought a losing battle. 

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Twenty)

Singapore had changed in many ways since the boy and the Merlion had left, but it had not altered entirely.  The morale of the people, now ruled over by the pirates (their livelihoods and ports controlled rigorously) had dipped much like the Merlion’s had, their turnout becoming shabby, just as his hair had grown long and horribly tangled, blinding and binding him.  

However, the pirates being seafaring folk, mostly stayed aboard their boats- only coming inland to ensure goods went where they wanted.

This gave the boy the freedom needed to rally the people into action, just as the young Merlion and the Merlion’s uncle had done to spread hope, and not just in Singapore. 

Though that’s where he began: announcing his arrival by bursting into the government’s buildings (following a journey under cover of darkness via his family home) and telling them all he had already told his father: in short, his story from beginning to end, ending it by taking officials to meet with the Merlion force he had brought back with him.

Together, the people of Singapore and the Merlions formed an alliance and plotted their attack on the pirates surrounding the island.  One point agreed upon by all was that more help was needed.  And so word was spread to all the other places the pirates had gone- to Johor Baru, Tanjungpinang and elsewhere, so that, on a selected date, all would revolt in an attempt to defeat the pirates both on land and at sea.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Nineteen)

The situation in Singapore had got much worse.  The waters around the island, as well as all her ports (and all others sharing this sea), were in the pirates‘ control.  There were too many for the Merlions and the boy to tackle alone.  They knew they had to get past the pirates and get onto the island in order to gain more help.

However there were so many ships that it would be too far for them to hold their collective breath and swim underwater to the shore.  And they feared that continued resurfacing would make too much noise to do it in stages.  

Their journey would therefore have to take place above water.  Slowly and quietly, keeping as much as possible away from any light created by the pirates or the moon.

Together the Merlion and the boy plotted a route that would keep them away from the larger ships they recognised as being the most dangerous, and that would land them a long way from all ports and jetties but close enough to somewhere safe the boy could go to and make contact.

They were fortunate in their timing and travelled on a moonless night.  This meant the pirates were burning many torches to light their activities and so the Merlions swam beyond the reach of this light and found a path shrouded in darkness along which they could swim. 

Slowly, carefully, quietly. 

Until they reached an unwatched beach and a cave for the Merlions to rest in.

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Another fascicle finished, the Eternal Scribe sighed deeply and picked up a new book. It was a thankless task recording all of history.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Eighteen)

The breakaway group that hoped to save two islands travelled during the night and rested during the day, hoping this routine would ensure avoiding any search parties that might have been dispatched to find them.  

Fortunately the Council of the Merlions didn’t think that the boy or the Merlion were clever enough to find their way without the map.  Rather, they expected the whole group to wash up dead on some island somewhere, or to starve to death on its beach.

But the boy and the Merlion had remembered each step carefully, so keen were they to return and help- even if it were to have been alone.  Both were overjoyed, therefore, to have such a large group of helpers.  As they swam closer to their destination they felt unstoppable.

The boy spent most of his return journey to Singapore on the back of his Merlion’s uncle, and on that of the captain from the Council’s Army who’d helped them escape.  He told them all about the island itself and the situation with the pirates as it had been when he and his Merlion had left (the latter telling them about the waters surrounding Singapore).  And together they talked plans and tactics.

After discussing how to get past the pirates to the island fortress, the boy noticed the Merlion in deep conversation (for the third time) with the same female Merlion. 

And he smiled a big smile.  The main objective looked to be on course.   Now for the trickier one.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Seventeen)

The Merlions of the Council’s Army allowed the splinter group to pass.  The leader said quickly to the Merlion‘s uncle, “We’ll try and have them join us.  Or else we’ll stop them following you.  Go now.  And keep going.  I’ve seen the boy’s map, we can catch you up.”

They wished each other luck and those bound for Singapore moved toward the tunnel.  The boy held his breath once more and his Merlion led the group through the tunnel.  They collected on the far side and the boy, from memory for his map had been confiscated by the Council, led the group away in the dark, seeking shelter where they could await the Council’s Army.

They waited through the night, each gaining some sleep while others spent time examining the sea for signs of their fellow Merlions. 

Eventually it came and a brave Merlion swam out to meet those who’d come, whether friend or foe.  He found only six of those who had protected their passage, all battered and bruised.

Among them was their captain who told them as his wounds were seen to, in between winces, “They didn’t even stop to listen.  Attacked on arrival.  And viciously.  Obviously knew what we’d done.  Once I took out my opposite number it got easier- most of them fled, so we did too.  Might not be long before a search party follows.  If they aren’t too scared.  We should move on soon.”

And so began the journey of the Merlions to Singapore.

100 Words: Illness

When faced with this subject, it might seem difficult not to slide into sadness, to plumb the depths of despair and death, to mine mortality; and tricky to find a lighter, happier, angle.  

Yet I have heard of relationships forming in hospital and lasting far beyond the discharge.  I’ve heard tell of people discovering themselves during that period away from normal life; more than once a great work has been created during convalescence or from the sickbed.   

And I know my children would not exist if I had not had a breakdown, as my recovery led me to their mother.

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Written for 100 Word Challenge #371 on Velvet Verbosity

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Sixteen)

“We all dream the same dream.  Some of us, myself included, remember what it was like.  You lot, I know for a fact, never experienced it.  Yet we all have this same dream.  Maybe not every night; but most. 

“It’s that thing that few talk about.  We all go through it; and the yearning afterwards.  And we keep it quiet.  Keep it inside as that.  Just a dream.

“And it’s beautiful, isn’t it?  The scenery and the feeling it brings.  All that clear blue water and the myriad of fish; different fish.  And the sea’s bottom, the wonderful seabed: sand further than the eye can see, so unlike this lagoon and its dark, thick forest of weeds. 

“And that feeling of freedom, of being able to swim through those waters forever.

“And it’s so close.  We all know just how close it is.  If you let us through we can have the chance to gain that dream for future generations.  And soon enough for us to live it.

“But if you stop us… then it’ll surely never happen.  And we’ll carry on dreaming forever.”

A quiet came over the assembled Merlions as the Council’s Army bobbed in the water thinking.  They could hear the other half approaching, agitated, and could sense a fight would start on their arrival. 

They looked at one another, nodding in agreement, a scared yet hopeful look in their eyes and their commander said to the Merlion’s Uncle, “Okay, then, let’s do it.  You lot first.”

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Fifteen)

The preparations for the breakout began early with plans drawn for freeing the Merlion and the boy, gathering food for the boy and deciding who would make the trip.

Meanwhile the Council of the Merlions attempted to indoctrinate the Merlion but the hope that the boy and the young Merlion had instilled meant that nothing ever went in as he merely inwardly counted down to the breakout.

It started in the dead of night.  The young Merlion and some friends silently swam to the cages of first the Merlion, then the boy (separated since the Merlion met his mother).  One of these comrades, a larger Merlion, had always been taken to stealing extra food until his parents (and then other families) began to lock up their food, meaning he had become adept at picking locks- a skill now finally used for the benefit of others.  Once freed, the boy once again took to his Merlion’s back and together they joined the army of Merlions bound for Singapore in the centre of the lagoon.

Here their mission faced its first opposition.  The emergency tunnel was guarded by half of the Council’s army, the rest having been alerted as the breakaway army approached.  The Merlion’s uncle, though, could see in the eyes of this army that they did not truly want this fight but that they would have it if necessary.

In the absence of any Council members he decided to take advantage of his voice and remind them of The Dream.

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Regardless of H&S, the mole kept on digging until his tunnels became too weak and fell in. All thanks to the sweets stash he'd been eating.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Fourteen)

Upon hearing of her son’s return, the Merlion’s mother had forced her husband to talk to the Council about allowing her access to their son, fuming that she did not already know of his return.  This they eventually allowed, agreeing it as the first part of his “rehabilitation and resettlement with his kind”.

The Merlion’s mother approached her son’s cage carefully, unsure of quite what she would find, of how alien her son might seem, of what the intervening years might have done. 

Within the cage, the Merlion and the boy saw a Merlion who was new to them approach and came across to meet her. 

Upon seeing her son’s eyes look out at her everything changed, all caution left as the Merlion’s mother saw the eyes she had looked into as a baby, the eyes that she had seen every time she closed her own since they had been taken away from her as she slept.

And she broke down and wept for some time before revealing her identity. 

Then they boy retreated, allowing the Merlion and his mother to speak at length of their individual lives- he of his time on Singapore and his reason for returning (his mother quickly thinking of a suitable mate) and she of their family and her life on the island before and after his kidnapping.

By the end of the afternoon she had agreed to help his cause and try to convert the Merlion’s father.  Before she could, however, the breakout began.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Thirteen)

The boy and the young Merlion quickly put their plans into action.

The boy pleaded with the Council to help his people.  “Without you we are doomed to live under the pirates’ control, we will fade without you.”  And he told them of the benefits, how they would be able to break out once more from their island and would be able to agree terms for their own safety.

But the Council were proud and claimed to be happy as they were and would not risk lives to help those who had robbed them in the past.  Then they told him that he would be separated from the Merlion, who would be shown the ways of his people and be staying on the island where he was born.  And finally they told the boy that he would be returned to the cage to await his fate, as yet undecided.

The Merlion’s uncle was a lot more receptive to the pair’s idea.  Together, he and the young Merlion, spread their plans of descent, soon building a group of volunteers to travel to Singapore and battle the pirates and try to gain their freedom rather than rip the pack apart, probably to the detriment of both halves. 

Through whisperings going from ear to ear around the lagoon they were able to reignite hope among the Merlions for their future, even if it meant rebelling against the Council and a fight with the official army.

Meanwhile, the Merlion was reunited with his mother.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Twelve)

While the Merlion sat before the Council, the boy spoke further with the young Merlion they had followed and told him about the events that had led them to journey to the Island of the Merlions. 

As the boy told of the Merlion’s hair growth, the young Merlion nodded and said, “Yes, we suffer from that condition here.  The sufferers are kept out of sight to help stop the depression’s spread, but it’s already taken its toll and reduced our numbers greatly.  There’s been a movement, although small, to escape for some time.  But the council are too strong and most Merlions fear their army of enforcers.”

After hearing of the piratical takeover of Singapore the young Merlion had a further thought.  “The Council are proud- if you stroke can their egos… in short, beg and tell them their help is essential and that in offering it they’ll be able to call the shots and ensure the future safety of this island and the Merlions...  

“In the meantime, I’ll talk to your Merlion’s uncle.  He leads those who want out.  Through him we might be able to get the whole family on our side and, well, your Merlion’s father is on the Council.  And this plan sounds better than an escape to me.”

The pair were all smiles and plans when the dismayed Merlion returned from the Council, his mane already looking a little longer and slightly dishevelled. Soon he began to smile too as they told him their ideas. 

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Eleven)

The Merlion sat before the Council of the Merlions (among whom was his father, who’d pioneered the idea to keep the Merlions within the lagoon) and told them about his life.  

He told of his upbringing in the zoo and of his job guarding the island and protecting ships from all dangers.  In particular he spoke of his freedom of movement around Singapore’s waters in the hope of rekindling memories of the ocean.  

Distant looks of longing began to appear in the councillors’ eyes until the Merlion was asked why he had returned and he told them of the sadness that had come upon him and the hair growth and how the zookeeper had given them the map home.  However, the Merlion took hold of his moment and said he sensed a similar sadness in the lagoon and suggested they might enjoy a better life in Singapore.

This made the councillors angry and they asked how, as an outsider, he could dare to question what he knew nothing about and reminded the Merlion that remaining alone on Singapore had led him into deep depression.  “There is no such affliction here,” they told him, “Clearly it is better you stay here.”

They sent the Merlion back to his cage vowing to teach him the ways of the Merlions and to never let him leave.  On the way back the Merlion finally took in his surroundings and had to admit that his kind would be mad to leave such a beautiful place.  

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He was the most reckless mole I've ever met! Just Dig! Dig! Dig! with him: never any planning put in. No wonder he died under a collapse!

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Ten)

The Merlion and the boy sat in their cage worrying about their future; a future that was being discussed by the Council of the Merlions as they sat dead-eyed with concern, unable to take in their beautiful surroundings.  For four days they sat contemplating the worst and quietly discussing possible ways out.

Their meals were brought by the young Merlion they had followed as part of his punishment.  At first he hadn’t spoken a word to the prisoners and had simply dumped the food unceremoniously before quickly turning his tail.  Before long, however, his curiosity got the better of him and he began to talk.

He told them about the Merlions’ self-imposed confinement in the lagoon and how their numbers had dwindled and the pack had become more depressed over time.  They were creatures, he said, that needed to spend most of their lives in the vastness of the sea and that, although the lagoon was deep and large, it was not enough.  Before the kidnapping it had been a place for resting at night and from storms.  Now, thanks to the council, they could never leave it.

This got the boy thinking and, when the time came for the Merlion to go before the council the boy said,  “You need to save your kind, Merlion.  You have to convince them to move to Singapore.”

“But.  How?” asked the Merlion.

“I don’t know, Merlion, this is something only you can do, I’m afraid.  And I am certain that you must.”

100 Words: Leather Chair

I saw the leather chair in his office and instantly took against him.  Why?  Because of everything it represented and said about management.

They showed me the honeycomb of cubicles down below and I heard the great cacophony of sound yet up there it was silent.  Where the workers had been cramped, this man had the time, space, quiet and comfort to think while everyone else drowned in their own sweat to pay for it. Just the fact that he could sink comfortably while they struggled to keep still on cheap swivel chairs appalled me.  

That was my only day.

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Written for 100 Word Challenge #369 on Velvet Verbosity

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Nine)

The first thing that happened when they surfaced was the boy’s noisy recovery from having to hold his breath for such a long time.  Fortunately the tunnel had not been too long, though it hadn’t been far off, and, upon surfacing, the boy coughed, spluttered and took long deep draughts of air into his lungs.  This had the unfortunate effect of attracting the attention of a group of Merlions on the far shore. 

They also spotted the Merlion they had followed and so the second thing that happened was that the Merlion they’d followed (who had returned quietly and unseen, just as he had left, as he did so everyday) received the scalding of a life from his father and the Head Merlion simultaneously. 

Ever since the zookeeper’s visit, the Merlions had restricted themselves completely to the large and deep lagoon where he had found them, blocking the only above ground entrance.  

The tunnel to the open sea was for emergency use only- indeed that whole end of the lagoon, from two large boulders on either side right up to the cliffs was out of bounds.  (It also had the added bonus of letting in fish from the sea).  The young Merlion had been caught out and would pay the consequences.

As this went on, the third thing that happened was that the boy and the Merlion were quickly surrounded by the largest of the island’s Merlions, captured as intruders and taken to a cage built for any returning men.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Eight)

The boy put a finger to his lips and pointed to the Merlion playing in the sea.  They watched for a bit, deciding what to do next.  They felt too weak to follow straight away and so the pair let it go, hoping for another sighting the following day.  Then they would follow and find the full pack.

So they ate, missing the Merlion disappear, slept, then waited on the beach, their eyes on the sea waiting for their quarry.  When it returned, the boy returned to the Merlion’s back and the pair swam out to sea, keeping a safe distance, waiting for their chance.

It came when the Merlion went under and didn’t surface.  The Merlion hesitated, not knowing how long they might be underwater but the boy assured him it would be okay and they followed in pursuit, seeing the other Merlion enter a dark tunnel far below the surface of the sea.

The explorers entered the tunnel, the Merlion moving quickly along the pitch dark tunnel’s length looking to minimise the amount of time the boy had to hold his breath and so hoping it would be straight and not too long. 

For the boy the tunnel seemed infinitely long.  He thought of his father and if he’d ever see him and his home again, hoping it would not be too long a wait to breathe again.

Fortunately it was not and the pair emerged into the lagoon from which the zookeeper had once stolen the Merlion.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Seven)

The Merlion and the boy despaired.  They had travelled hundreds of miles past thousands of islands only to find themselves in a dead end.  For a few hours they lay in silence, the boy on the beach, the Merlion in the surf, exhausted from their journey and its discovery.  Neither had really thought it might be this difficult, that anything would have changed on this remote shore.

“But it has,” the boy later told the Merlion, “And we have to deal with that.”  The boy had noticed the Merlion’s hair starting to grow again and was trying to rally him into action and thus hopefully keep his morale up.

To begin with this entailed slowly circumnavigating the island in search of some break in the impenetrable fortress of cliffs.  Then the boy tried, and failed, to scale those cliffs or make his way through the jungle blocking the only break visible.

And so the pair returned to the beach where they would have returned to despairing, had they not been hungry.

While the Merlion caught fish the boy stared out to sea trying to think of what to do next.  Soon he might have a prostrate and long-haired creature on his hands once more.  And that would not do.

Then, in the late afternoon summer sun the boy and the Merlion’s luck changed.  At first the boy thought it was his Merlion swimming about.  But then his surfaced, nearer to him, fish in mouth, and he smiled a big smile.

≤140 Characters, or Tweet Repeat: 14

His coquetry on the dancefloor had got him nowhere. But what else could he do? The slaps told him his talk was worse than his walk.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Six)

The Merlion sank quickly under the water and swam onwards, hoping the boy had composed himself enough to continue the use of his snorkel.

The pirate who’d hollered down to the sea searched its surface for the instigator of the sound looking for this invader of pirate waters.  

All he saw, however, were the ripples created by the Merlion’s dive.  Seeing nothing just below the surface under or near the ripples, and not knowing about the Merlion’s new state, the pirate simply shrugged his shoulders, convinced it must have been some sea creature he was ignorant of and turned away from the ship’s side missing the Merlion re-surface in the distance.

Upon breaking the surface, the Merlion checked the boy was fine and finding him unharmed (though a little shaken) he swam onwards and away from the pirate-occupied zone around Singapore.

The rest of the journey passed with little incident.  The pair travelled by day, the boy resting on beaches each night, slowly making his way through the rations his father had packed.

Eventually they reached the island marked on the map as their destination.  Its coastline was made entirely of high cliffs apart from the small beach where the zookeeper’s expedition had found refuge.  Due surely to the results of that visit, however, the river that had previously been available to journey inland had been damned and the riverbed was now part of a thick impenetrable jungle.

The pair rested from their journey wondering what they would do next.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Five)

Finding the Merlion newly shorn and positive, the boy packed a waterproof bag with a few essentials for the journey such as fresh water and dried fish to eat, as well as the changes of clothes his father insisted on. 

The Merlion was then fitted with the saddle he occasionally wore to give people rides around Singapore and to Johor Baru on special days of the year.  The boy boarded his steed as navigator and they set off, waving goodbye to the assembled and hopeful masses.

Now, while the Merlion had laid down in despair and the boy had started to sort his problems out, pirates had taken over the waters around Singapore, controlling the traffic between the island and the surrounding countries for a large share of the goods transported.  

And so the journey to the Island of the Merlions began slowly and carefully as the Merlion sought to avoid being seen by the pirate’s lookouts.  The pair therefore travelled under the surface of the water, the boy using a snorkel to breathe, ready to dive deeper should the shape of the Merlion be spotted.

At one point, as the pair were passing a pirate ship, the Merlion forgot about the boy for a moment and dipped down enough for water to enter the boy’s snorkel and choke him.  The boy urgently patted the Merlion’s back and he surfaced, the boy coughing and spluttering on his back.

As he stopped a call came from above: “Halt! Who goes there?”

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Four)

At the zoo the boy found the keeper, now semi-retired and training his successor.  Since hearing of the Merlion’s condition he had begun searching through his belongings for what he hoped would be the key to ending it.  For, like the boy, he believed it was time to find another Merlion.

He had come to call the affair, “Singapore’s Shame“, though the sin, he ultimately felt, was his.  Even though he’d not been the only one to know, that he’d been encouraged to keep quiet because, “The Merlion was their miracle, a blessing for Singapore.”

Many years before, the keeper had led an expedition to find animals to bolster the zoo’s collection.  All around South East Asia they had travelled capturing specimens to take back home.  During the voyage they had sought refuge from a storm in a sheltered natural harbour on an unchartered isle.  Inland, in a sort of secret sea water pool, they discovered a pack of Merlions. 

The keeper snuck up on them in the dead of night and took a Merlion cub for the collection (only one did he dare, not wanting to disturb these fearsome looking creatures) and they left the island soon after before the cub’s family could do anything.

As he and the Merlion grew, as the Merlion began to talk, grew up and left for the seas, the keeper began to regret his decisions and his lies.  And so now he gave the boy a map charting the Island of the Merlions.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Three)

“You’re lonely, aren’t you, Mr Merlion?  You need a friend to patrol our waters with.  And, I think, a girl Merlion.”

“Yes, young one, you are most correct.  I have grown so lonely out in the sea.  I really enjoy my work, my role here, but it… it’s not enough anymore when once it was.”

“I see.  But what can we do to help?  We learned in school that you are the only one.”

“That’s what they say.  I was raised here by the zoo keeper.  A most kind father to me.  Once I got too big I went out to sea and started to patrol.  He always told that I‘m the only one, that I am Singapore’s miracle creature.  

“But I’ve always suspected otherwise.  I have the dimmest, most vague memories of being with others.  More like dreams than memories, really.  Those dreams.. or memories… are so vivid.  And the keeper always flinched a little when I spoke of other Merlions, you know, and he has gotten more awkward in my presence recently.”

“Alright.  He sounds like a good place to start.  I’ll go find some people to come and cut this bedraggled mess away.  Have hope, Mr Merlion, and keep your locks from growing back while I go to see the zoo keeper.”

“Thank you, boy, thank you.  I shall try.”

So the small boy organised the Merlion’s haircut, hopefully the last of such magnitude, and went to talk to the man who knew of the Merlion’s beginnings. 

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Splodge was a feisty troll who could never stay still- some called him a restless soul. Really it was just that he had very itchy pants.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part Two)

One day, not long after the pirates were first seen off the coast of Singapore, a small boy approached the pool where the Merlion lay.  He had often enjoyed watching out for the Guardian of Singapore from the hill where he and his family lived and was saddened by news of the Merlion’s plight.  Moved also by the sighting of pirates, he had walked across the island to see if he could help.

He was a very intuitive young man, this boy.  All his life he’d had a way with knowing how animals felt from their facial expressions alone.  Where most people used veterinary science to explain symptoms, the boy could often tell from one look at their face or, sometimes, demeanour.

And so it was possible that he might just be the best hope for Singapore and the Merlion.

Upon arrival the boy found a great mass of hair rising out of what had once clearly been a pool; and it took several minutes of digging through to find the Merlion’s face rising just above the waterline.  A face down turned with big, sad watery eyes.  

Now many others had seen this face already and not been able to put two and two together because they thought only of the Merlion as a beast of unfailing duty; a robot if you will. The boy, however, recognised the face of his father, a widower for some four years, and the boy knew instinctively that they needed to find a Merlioness.

250 Words: The Merlion (Part One) - That's right it's Merlion March! A new part each day (two parts in one go at one point) until it's done.

“Roar!  Roar!” Spash, splash! went the Merlion, the creature that lived in the waters around Singapore, helping ships into the harbour and keeping pirates away.  He was a proud Merlion who enjoyed his job very much.  He was very proud indeed, in fact.  Too proud to admit he had grown lonely, wishing every day for company in the waters around Singapore.

As time went by he grew more lonely and, as he did, so his mane grew longer and longer until it ravelled around his tail, meaning the Merlion could no longer swim and was washed up on a Singaporean beach much to the surprise of the island’s people.

They duly cut his hair and returned the Merlion to the water only for it to happen again as the Merlion’s sadness continued and, because the Merlion saw happy couples when on land and from the sea, his mane began to grow back faster and faster until he was washing up every day and the shipping lanes were in disarray.

The people despaired.  Without the Merlion they were not safe anymore.  Every time the Merlion washed up onshore they tried hard to find out why his mane kept growing when it had not before but no answer would he give.  He only spoke to ask to be cut free.

And so it continued until the Merlion’s mane started to grow back instantly and the islanders were forced to leave him in a pool of water until they could find a solution.

250 Words: Tales from the City: Delphi the oracle

“I know exactly how I must sound.”  I can remember her saying that to me when she explained how she believed that she dreamed the future.  How she was certain, absolutely certain, that her dreams, or some of them, eventually came to be.  That, for her, deja vu was more than just a creepy feeling, it was something she’d seen before- everything from sights and sounds to the thoughts in her head and a feeling of doom had been experienced already in a dream. 

She’d thought this even before they made the news.  They made it worse.  Poor girl was determined to be more like them.  Knew she couldn’t prove anything but that she couldn’t really be proved wrong either.  Only dismissed.  Because science doesn’t really touch that sort of thing: the inner workings of the mind are a mystery.  And maybe, like them, this was evolution in action. 

So she started writing down everything she dreamed in a notebook hoping desperately that something written down would happen.  Anything.  No matter how mundane.  But nothing did.

Then the recurring nightmares started.  Scenes of her and others like her all kept asleep and wired up to screens displaying all they dreamed and uniformed people recording it all in notebooks laid out similar to hers.

These sent her over the edge and beyond our help into a paranoid world where we could no longer reach, until we didn’t know what to do anymore, until the day they came and took her away.